Why the Enhanced Games will force sport to confront tough questions

Breaking news from the world of sport: Sport InsightWhy the Enhanced Games will force sport to confront tough questionsPublished23 minutes agoImage source, SportByDan Roan Sports editorOn the neon-clad Strip in Las Vegas - a city known for pushing boundaries in the pursuit of entertainment and profit - one of the most controversial events in sports history is about to take centre stage. Featuring athletes who have taken performance-boosting drugs banned in mainstream competition, the inaugural Enhanced Games will finally happen this weekend, provoking both dismay and intrigue. For the many critics, 'Sin City' provides a fitting backdrop to what they see as a disturbing spectacle, one which they say normalises doping, undermines the long fight against cheating and risks the health of those taking part.

Those behind the so-called 'Steroid Olympics' insist the event will reward athletic excellence, celebrate scientific innovation and explore human potential. So what forces lie behind the Enhanced Games? Is it a sign of things to come?

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And what questions is it forcing sport - and wider society - to confront? Three months have passed since a group of about 40 Enhanced Games athletes representing sprinting, swimming and weightlifting gathered in Abu Dhabi for an all-expenses-paid training camp in a luxury resort boasting state-of-the-art sports facilities. Enticed there by the kind of appearance fees that most could only dream of, along with the tantalising prospect of a $1m prize if they could beat the world record in their discipline, the event presented an opportunity to extend or revive sporting careers.

And then there were the drugs. At a hospital about 20 minutes' drive away on the outskirts of the city, the athletes were offered individually tailored programmes of 'enhancement protocols' - substances strictly prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) but allowed there. While the competitors are yet to declare exactly what they have each taken, it can be revealed that the performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) administered included testosterone, anabolic steroids (such as methenolone and nandrolone), hormones and growth factors (including HGH and EPO), metabolic modulators and stimulants.

While organisers have emphasised that these substances were all approved by the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) and given as part of a clinical trial under strict medical supervision with all participants monitored, the project has been condemned by sports bodies and anti-doping authorities. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Wada called it "immoral" and "a dangerous and irresponsible concept" in a joint statement last year. World Aquatics then became the first governing body to ban anyone involved with the Enhanced Games from its events.

UK Sport said it might withdraw funding from any athletes signing up. Enhanced Games - a sporting revolution or dangerous doping?

The story has climbed to the top of the sports agenda, with fans and analysts following closely.